Bangladesh is seeing a growing number of people across income groups and professions participate in strictly prohibited online gaming, betting, and cryptocurrency-related activities.

It raises concerns about financial crime, addictive spending, and the movement of illicit funds across borders.

Analysing the flow of funds to and from Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) identified such online gaming and other activities were worth Tk 17.15 billion in debit and Tk 16.73 billion in credit transactions in the fiscal year 2024-25.

Salaried professionals accounted for the largest share of people involved in such activities.

The BFIU said their stable income might have enabled them to participate more frequently in online betting, gaming, and other prohibited digital activities.

They topped in such types of illegal and banned transactions involving Tk 6.41 billion in debit and Tk 6.42 billion in credit during the financial year.

A debit transaction represents money flowing out of an account, while a credit transaction is money flowing into an account.

The BFIU said the volume of such transactions was the highest recorded in the country, highlighting the growing reach of prohibited online platforms.

Housewives ranked second, handling Tk 3.71 billion in debit and Tk 3.47 billion in credit transactions during the year.

Farmers and people involved in fisheries ranked third, with Tk 2.31 billion in debit and Tk 2.32 billion in credit transactions.

Students ranked fourth, handling Tk 1.94 billion in debit and Tk 1.75 billion in credit transactions.

The BFIU said students and young people were increasingly using their savings in such activities.

The transactions were not confined to urban residents or higher-income groups.

The BFIU said the activities had spread across the country, involving salaried professionals, farmers, and people in rural areas.

It cautioned, however, that some people identified as farmers or fishermen might in fact be involved in large-scale agricultural or fisheries businesses, while others might have concealed their actual occupations.

The transactions were generally conducted through banks and mobile financial services, the BFIU said.

Tech-savvy users were increasingly involved not only in cryptocurrency-related scams but also in offshore betting and unregulated trading platforms, according to the unit.

More concerning, the BFIU said, was the growing involvement of lower-income groups, including day labourers and low-income earners, in such activities.

Such participation could expose vulnerable people to fraudulent schemes and addiction-driven transactions, it said.

In some cases, individuals might also operate accounts on behalf of others, the BFIU said.

It said the spread of such activities across income groups and occupations pointed to a growing national risk. Illegal digital platforms are influencing financial behaviour, encouraging addictive spending patterns, and facilitating cross-border fund transfers.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's parliament passed the Gambling Prevention Act 2026 on June 30, replacing the 1867 Gambling Act.

The new law bans online betting, digital casinos, cryptocurrency gambling, and match-fixing.

It also empowers the government to block gambling apps and websites and freeze bank or mobile-money accounts used for betting.

The law repealed Section 20 of the Cyber Security Act, with gambling-related offences now handled under the new legislation.

jasimharoon@yahoo.com